Search result previews

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for presenting information. In one aspect, a method includes receiving search result data representing a search result and extended result content for the search result, where at least a portion of the received extended result content including off-page content that was obtained from a resource that is not referenced by the search result. The search result is presented and a user interaction with a search result is determined to have occurred. In response to determining that the user interaction occurred, a portion of extended result content for the search result is presented. The extended result content can be presented while maintaining presentation of at least a portion of the search result. A size of the search result location in which the extended result content is presented can be expanded to present a larger portion of the extended result content in the expanded search result location.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Patent Application No. 61/604,659, entitled “SEARCH RESULT PREVIEWS,”filed Feb. 29, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

This specification relates to data presentation.

The Internet provides access to a wide variety of resources such asimages, video or audio files, web pages for particular subjects, bookarticles, or news articles. A search system can identify resources thatare responsive to a search query and provide search results thatreference the identified resources. Users can view the search results ona display device and request presentation of the resources throughinteraction with the search results. For example, in response to userinteraction with a search result, the resource that is referenced by thesearch result can be requested for presentation at the display device.

SUMMARY

In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described inthis specification can be embodied in methods that include the actionsof receiving search result data representing a search result andextended result content for the search result, at least a portion of thereceived extended result content including off-page content that wasobtained from a resource that is not referenced by the search result;presenting the search result in a search result location of a searchresults page, the search result location having a first perimeter of afirst perimeter length; determining that a user interaction with asearch result has occurred, the user interaction being indicative of auser request for presentation of extended result content for the searchresult; and in response to determining that the user interactionoccurred: presenting, within the search result location, a portion ofextended result content for the search result with which the userinteraction occurred, the extended result content being content that hasbeen identified as relevant to the search result, the extended resultcontent being presented while maintaining presentation of at least aportion of the search result; expanding a size of the search resultlocation in which the extended result content is presented, the searchresult location being expanded to have a second perimeter of a secondperimeter length that exceeds the first perimeter length; and presentinga larger portion of the extended result content in the expanded searchresult location. Other embodiments of this aspect include correspondingsystems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform theactions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices.

These and other embodiments can each optionally include one or more ofthe following features. Presenting a portion of extended result contentcan include replacing only a portion of the search result with theportion of the extended result content. Determining that the userinteraction occurred can include determining that a user swipe occurred,the determination that the user swipe has occurred being based, at leastin part, on detection of a pointer at multiple locations along a paththat extends from a first display location to a second display location,the first display location being within a threshold distance of thesearch result location. Determining that the user interaction occurredcan include determining that a user interacted with an extended resultelement that was presented in the search result location.

Replacing a portion of the search result with the portion of theextended result content can include animating the portion of the searchresult in a manner that causes the portion of the search result to movein a direction of the user swipe. Replacing a portion of the searchresult with the portion of the extended result content can includeanimating the portion of the extended result content in a manner thatcauses the portion of the extended result content to move in thedirection of the user swipe until the portion of the extended resultcontent has completely replaced the portion of the search result.

Expanding a size of the search result location can include increasing avertical length of the search result location. Methods can furtherinclude the action of shifting one or more additional search resultsdown the search results page, a distance of the shifting being based ona distance by which the vertical length is increased.

Methods can further include the action of preventing presentation of theextended result content prior to user interaction with the searchresult. Receiving search result data representing the extended resultcontent can include receiving image data that represent two or more webpages of a network domain that is referenced by the search result.Receiving search result data representing the extended result contentcan include receiving information that has been identified as relevantto the search query for which the search result was provided, thereceived information having been obtained from a vertical specificsearch.

Methods can further include the actions of determining that a user swipeof the extended result content has occurred; and in response todetermining that user swipe of the extended result content has occurred,replacing the extended result content with different extended resultcontent.

Methods can further include the actions of determining that a user tapon the extended result content has occurred; and initiating a requestfor a resource that was visually represented at a display location thatis within a threshold distance of a location at which the user tap wasdetected.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be implemented so as to realize one or more of thefollowing advantages. Users are enabled to access additional informationabout a resource that is referenced by a search result withoutinitiating a request for presentation of the resource. The additionalinformation can be, for example, images representing resources that arefrom a same domain to which the search result links, and these imagescan be presented in a portion of the search result so that the imagescan be presented at tablet computing devices or other devices that mayhave limited display areas. Since presentation of the images can beperformed without requesting the resource, the images can be presentedmore quickly than the resource can be presented, and without navigatingaway from the search results page. The additional information can alsobe, for example, images that are images, audio, or video that arepresented with resources referenced by the search result, or otherinformation that is related to the search result, e.g., a map showing alocation of a business referenced by the search result, or user reviewsof a business or attraction referenced by the search results.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of thesubject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings,and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment in which a searchsystem provides search services.

FIGS. 2A-2G are screen shots of an example search interface in whichextended result content can be presented.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an example process for presenting extendedresult content in search results.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example computer system.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The availability of portable computing devices is increasing, and manyof these devices have touch screens that enable a user to use a fingeror another pointer to interact with content. For example, users using atablet computing device can interact with a search result by touching alocation of the touch screen at which the search result is presented.This user interaction with the search result initiates a request for aresource that is referenced (e.g., linked to) by the search result, andthe resource can be presented in the browser (or another application)that is operating on the computing device.

To increase usability of tablet devices in search environments, thetablet device can be configured to accept additional user interactionswith a search result that allow the user to access extended resultcontent. Extended result content is information presented in a searchresult in response to the occurrence of a specified user interactionwith the search result. The extended result content includes informationbeyond that initially presented in the search result, and can includeinformation about a resource that is referenced by the search resultand/or additional information that has been identified as relevant to asame topic as the search result or a search query for which the searchresult was presented.

In some implementations, at least a portion of the extended resultcontent for a search result for a particular web page is off-pagecontent for that particular web page. Off-page content for a particularresource (e.g., a particular web page) is content that is obtained froma resource that is not referenced by (e.g., linked to by) the searchresult for the particular resource, while on-page content for theparticular resource is content that is obtained from the particularresource that is referenced by the search result. For purposes ofillustration, assume that a particular search result includes a link toa web page at www.example.com. In this example, the on-page content forthis search result will be content obtained from the web page that islocated at www.example.com, while the off-page content for this searchresult would include content that was obtained from a web page otherthan example.com and/or content that is not included on the web pagewww.example.com.

The extended result content that a user can access through userinteraction with a particular search result can include, for example,preview graphics for resources from the domain to which the particularsearch result links. A preview graphic is an image that includes one ormore visual representations of information that has been identified asrelevant to a resource from the network domain to which a search resultlinks or a search query for which the search results are being provided.For example, a preview graphic may include visual representations ofthree different web pages from a same domain (e.g., example.com).

The extended result content that the user can access through userinteraction with a search result can also include other information thathas been identified as relevant to the search query for which the searchresult was provided. For example, the extended result content caninclude textual information about a business that has been identified asrelevant to the search query, a map indicating a business location of abusiness that has been identified as relevant to the search query, userreviews of the business that has been identified as relevant to thesearch query, audio or video files that have been identified as relevantto the search query, images that have been identified as relevant to thesearch query, information about products that have been identified asrelevant to the query, or news articles that have been identified asrelevant to the search query. As described in more detail below, theextended result content can be organized according to a type ofinformation e.g., images, news, shopping, and a user can access thedifferent types of extended result content by iteratively interactingwith the search result in a specified manner.

In some implementations, a user can request presentation of extendedresult content for a particular search result by performing a userinteraction that is indicative of a request for presentation of theextended result content. For example, a user swipe of the search resultmay be indicative of a request for the extended result content, suchthat extended result content may be presented in response to detectionof a user swipe. When the user swipe is detected, a portion of thesearch result can be replaced with extended result content, whileanother portion of the search result continues to be presented. Forexample, a text snippet that is presented in a search result can bereplaced by a preview graphic, while a title and/or network location forthe search result can continue to be presented in the search result. Anadditional preview graphic, or other extended result content such asimages that have been identified as relevant to the search query, can bepresented in response to user interaction with (e.g., swipe of) thepresented preview graphic. Extended result content can be presentedwithout initiating a resource request following presentation of thesearch results page, such that the user need not navigate away from thesearch results page to view extended result content.

Many of the examples provided in the description that follows refer to aweb page preview as an example of extended result content that ispresented to a user in response to a user request for extended resultcontent. The description that follows is also applicable to other typesof extended result content, such as extended result content thatincludes information about a business that has been deemed relevant tothe search query, audio or video content that has been deemed relevantto the search query, or other information related to a topic or entityto which a search result or search query has been identified asrelevant.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment 100 in which asearch system 110 provides search services. The example environment 100includes a network 102, e.g., a local area network (LAN), wide areanetwork (WAN), the Internet, or a combination of them, that connects websites 104, user devices 106, and the search system 110. The environment100 may include many thousands of web sites 104 and user devices 106.

A web site 104 is one or more resources 105 associated with a domainname and hosted by one or more servers. An example web site is acollection of web pages formatted in hypertext markup language (HTML)that can contain text, images, multimedia content, and programmingelements, e.g., scripts. Each web site 104 is maintained by a publisher,e.g., an entity that manages and/or owns the web site.

A resource 105 is data provided over the network 102 and that isassociated with a resource address. Resources 105 that can be providedby a web site 104 include HTML pages, word processing documents, andportable document format (PDF) documents, images, video, and feedsources, to name just a few. The resources 105 can include content,e.g., words, phrases, images and sounds and may include embeddedinformation (e.g., meta information and hyperlinks) and/or embeddedinstructions (e.g., scripts).

A user device 106 is an electronic device that is capable of requestingand receiving resources 105 over the network 102. Example user devices106 include personal computers, mobile communication devices, and otherdevices, such as tablet computing devices, that can send and receivedata over the network 102. A user device 106 typically includes a userapplication, e.g., a web browser, to facilitate the sending andreceiving of data over the network 102.

To facilitate searching of resources 105, the search system 110identifies the resources 105 by crawling and indexing the resources 105provided on web sites 104. Data about the resources 105 can be indexedbased on the resource to which the data corresponds. The indexed and,optionally, cached copies of the resources 105 are stored in a searchindex 112.

The user devices 106 submit search queries 109 to the search system 110.In response, the search system 110 accesses the search index 112 toidentify resources 105 that are relevant to (e.g., have at least aminimum specified relevance score for) the search query 109. The searchsystem 110 identifies the resources 105, generates search results 111that identify the resources 105, and returns the search results 111 tothe user devices 106. A search result 111 is data generated by thesearch system 110 that identifies a resource 105 that is responsive to aparticular search query, and includes a link to the resource 105. Anexample search result 111 can include a web page title, a snippet oftext or a portion of an image extracted from the web page, and the URLof the web page.

The search results 111 (e.g., SR1, SR2, SR3) are presented in a searchresults page 114 that is displayed at the user device 106. Userinteraction with a search result (e.g., SR1) causes the user device 106to request a landing page (e.g., Landing Page 1 (116)) referenced by thesearch result. In some implementations, the user device 106 submits ahypertext transfer protocol request for a resource that is located at auniform resource locator specified by the search result with which theuser interaction occurred. For example, user interaction with the searchresult SR1 can cause the user device 106 to request landing page 1 (116)that is referenced by the search result SR1. In response to the request,data that cause presentation of landing page 1 (116) are received by theuser device 106 and used to present landing page 1 (116) at the userdevice 106. In this example, the presentation of landing page 1 (116)may cause a search results page 114 to no longer be presented. Forexample, a browser that was presenting search results page 114 maypresent landing page 1 (116) in place of the results page 114.

To view additional landing pages for additional search results, a usercan again request presentation of search results page 114, for example,by interacting with a “back” element that is provided in their browser.Interaction with the “back” element will again cause presentation of thesearch results page 114, and the user can then interact with anothersearch result, such as SR2, to request presentation of landing page 2(118) that is referenced by the other search result. Similar interactionwith the “back” element and additional search results can be iterativelyperformed to continue to view landing pages for additional searchresults. However, these iterative requests for landing pages andre-presentation of search results page 114 can be time-consuming andrequire submission of multiple requests for resources.

A user device 106 can be configured to present search result previewsthat are presented in the search results page 114 without navigatingaway from the search results page 114 (e.g., without requesting anotherresource following presentation of the search results page). A searchresult preview is a visual representation (e.g., an image) of a resourcethat is referenced by a search result. For example, a search resultpreview can be an image file that, when rendered and presented, visuallyrepresents the resource that would be presented in response to a user“tap” (or click) of the search result.

In some implementations, the user device 106 presents a search resultpreview for a search result in response to a specified user interaction(e.g., a user swipe of a search result or hovering an electronic pointerover the search result) with the search result. For example, in responseto detecting the specified user interaction with search result SR1, theuser device 106 can present a search result preview that visuallyrepresents landing page 1 (116) without navigating away from the searchresults page 114 (e.g., without requesting another resource). Similarly,if the user device 106 determines that the specified user interactionoccurred with search result SR2, the user device 106 can present asearch result preview that visually represents landing page 2 (118).

The specified user interaction can be, for example, a user “tap” (ormouse click) of a preview user interface element (i.e., a user interfaceelement, such as a virtual button, that upon user interaction therewithcauses presentation of a search result preview) that is presented withthe search result. Alternatively, or additionally, the user interactioncan be a user “swipe” across the search result. Note that thisdescription refers to user interactions, such as a user “tap” and a user“swipe” that can be performed when a search result is presented at auser device that is equipped with a touch-screen interface. In devicesthat are not equipped with touch-screen interfaces, user interactions,such as mouse clicks of user specified interface elements can be usedinstead of a user “tap” or a user “swipe”.

The user device 106 can determine that a user “tap” has occurred, forexample, when the user device 106 determines that a pointer has engagedthe touch screen interface at a particular location and disengaged thetouch screen within a threshold distance of the particular location(e.g., at the same particular location or within a specified number ofpixels from the particular location). When a user tap occurs at apresentation location of a user interface element (e.g., a previewinterface element or another graphic that is presented in the userinterface), the user interface element is considered to have beeninteracted with by the user.

The user device 106 can determine that a user “swipe” has occurred, forexample, when the user device 106 determines that a pointer has engagedthe touch screen at a particular location and then disengaged the touchscreen outside of the threshold distance of the particular location. Forexample, when the user device 106 determines that the pointer hasengaged the touch screen at a first location, moved across the touchscreen more than threshold distance, and then disengaged the touchscreenat another location, the user device 106 can determine that a user swipehas occurred. In response to detecting a user swipe across (e.g., fromleft to right or right to left) a search result, the user device 106 canpresent a search result preview for the search result across which theuser swipe occurred.

The user device 106 can be configured to insert at least a portion of apreview graphic into a search result with which the specified userinteraction occurred. For example, in response to detecting thespecified user interaction with a particular search result, the userdevice 106 can remove a portion of text from the search result andinsert a preview graphic that visually represents three web pages of aweb site to which the search result links.

Alternatively, or additionally, the user device 106 can be configured toinsert other types of extended result content, such as off-page content,into the search result with which the user interaction occurred. Forexample, in response to the user interaction with search result SR1,extended result content that includes one or more images that have beenidentified as relevant to the search query or the search result SR1 canbe presented in a portion of the search result SR1. Other types ofextended result content that can be presented in the search result SR1following the specified user interaction with the search result SR1includes audio or video files have been deemed relevant to the searchquery or search result or other information that has been deemedrelevant to the search query or search result.

For example, extended result content that is inserted into a searchresult for a local business (e.g., a business that is within a thresholddistance of the user device) can include information about the businesssuch as operating hours, a map illustrating the location of thebusiness, and/or an image of the building in which the business islocated. The extended result content for the search result may alsoinclude user reviews for the business, example menu items, newsheadlines for the business, or other information about the business.This information can be on-page and/or off-page content for the searchresult, and organized, for example, based on information type (e.g.,general information, financial information, geographic information, oruser feedback). Each user interaction with the search result can cause adifferent type of information to be presented in the search result. Aset of extended result content that is presented together in the searchresult is referred to as an extended result card, and the presentationof an extended result card in a search result is referred to asinsertion of the extended result card in the search result. Insertion ofan extended result card into a search result is explained in more detailwith reference to FIGS. 2A-F, and as described below, users can navigatebetween extended result cards by performing a specified userinteraction, such as a user swipe.

FIG. 2A is a screenshot of an example search interface 200 in whichsearch results 202 a-202 d are presented. The search interface 200 canbe presented at a user device, such as a tablet computing device. Thesearch interface 200 includes a query entry field 204 in which a usercan enter a search query 206. The search interface 200 also includes asearch initiation element 208 with which the search query 206 can besubmitted to the search system. For example, in response to userinteraction with the search initiation element 208 the user device cansubmit a search query to a search system as described above withreference to FIG. 1.

The search results 202 a-202 d that are presented in the searchinterface 200 are search results that were received from the searchsystem in response to submission of the search query 206. Each searchresult can be presented in a separate search result location so thateach search result is independently identifiable from other searchresults.

A search result location is a portion of a search results page in whicha particular search result is presented. For example, the search result202 a is presented in a search result location that is bounded by thedashed line 212. The dashed line 212 is a conceptual representation ofthe search result location in which the search result 202 a is presentedand has a perimeter that bounds the search result 202 a.

The perimeter of a particular search result location can be presented ona search results page (e.g., through shading or highlighting of the areawithin the perimeter), or the perimeter of the particular search resultlocation may implemented in a manner that the perimeter is not presentedon the search results page. Note that the area enclosed by the perimeterof a search result location can be the same as (or larger than) the areaof the search result that is presented in the search result location.

A search result can include, for example, a reference portion 209 and acontent portion 210. The reference portion 209 is a portion of thesearch result (e.g., search result 202 a) in which a title (e.g.,“Famous Singer—Official Site”) of the resource that is referenced by thesearch result is presented. The reference portion 209 can furtherinclude, for example, a network location (e.g.,“Example.com/Official_Site/Famous_Singer”) of the resource that isreferenced by the search result.

The content portion 210 is a portion of the search result (e.g., searchresult 202 a) in which information about the content of the resourcereferenced by the search result is presented. For example, the contentportion 210 for search result 202 a presents a snippet of text that isincluded in the resource that is referenced by the search result 202 a.For purposes of discussion, a dotted line 214 is used to visuallydelineate the reference portion 209 and the content portion 210.However, such a line need not be included in a search result.

The user device at which the search interface 200 is presented isconfigured to enable a user to selectively change the content that ispresented in the content portion 210 of a search result withoutinitiating another resource request (e.g., without requesting theresource that is referenced by the search result or another searchresults page) following presentation of the search results page. Forexample, with reference to FIG. 2 B, detection of a user tap on anextended result interface element 215 can cause presentation of apreview graphic 220 or a different extended result card, e.g., images,in the content portion 210 of the search result 202 a.

Alternatively, or additionally, if a user swipe from point 216 to thepoint 218 is detected by the user device, the user device can presentthe preview graphic 220 in the content portion 210 of the search result202 a. The user swipe can be detected by the user device, for example,by detecting engagement of a pointer (e.g., a finger) at the point 216and at multiple points along the path illustrated by the arrow 222before disengagement of the pointer is determined to have occurred atpoint 218. The detection of the user swipe can also include adetermination that the points 216 and 218 are at least a thresholddistance apart (e.g., where the threshold distance is a distance beyondwhich a user interaction is considered to be a user swipe).

In some implementations, presentation of the preview graphic 220, oranother extended result card, can include initially presenting only aportion (e.g., less than 100%) of the preview graphic 220, or anotherextended result card, at one end of the content portion 210, andanimating the preview graphic 220 to move in the direction of the userswipe (e.g., from right to left in FIG. 2B). As the presented portion ofthe preview graphic 220 moves across the content portion 210, more ofthe preview graphic is presented to give the visual appearance that thepreview graphic is scrolling across the content portion 210.Alternatively, the preview graphic could be presented in the contentportion 210 without the animation.

As the preview graphic 220 moves across the content portion 210, thecontent that was previously presented in the content portion 210 canalso move across the content portion 210 and can be removed uponreaching an end of the content portion 210 (e.g., the end of the contentportion that is in a same direction as the user swipe and/or an oppositeend of the content portion from which additional portions of the previewgraphic 220 are being presented). For example, as illustrated by FIG.2B, the phrase “has sold more records than any” are presented to theleft of the original location at which this phrase was originallypresented in the content portion 210, and the remainder of the text thatwas originally presented has been removed.

In this example, as the preview graphic 220 continues to move from rightto left, the text will also continue to move from right to left, and thetext will be removed as it reaches the left end of the content portion210. Note that the user device at which the search interface 200 ispresented could also be implemented so that the text and/or previewgraphic 220 moved from the top of the content portion 210 to the bottomof the content portion 210, or from the bottom of the content portion210 to the top of the content portion 210.

As illustrated by FIG. 2C, the movement of the preview graphic 220across the content portion 210 can continue until the content that waspreviously presented in the content portion 210 is no longer presented.The preview graphic 220 includes visual representations 224 a-224 c(e.g., search result previews) that visually represent three web pagesfrom the web site that is referenced by the search result 202 a (e.g.,example.com). Visual representation 224 a is an image of a “home page”for the web site that is referenced by the search result 202 a, whilevisual representations 224 b and 224 c are respectively visualrepresentations of a “tour schedule” page and a “merchandise” page fromthe web site.

In some implementations, even after a preview graphic, or anotherextended result card, has stopped moving across the content portion of asearch result (e.g., from right to left), only a portion of the previewgraphic, or another extended result card, is presented in the contentportion of the search result. For example, with reference to FIG. 2C,the preview graphic 220 and/or visual representations 224 a-224 c mayhave dimensions that are larger than the content portion 210, such thatthe full preview graphic 220 and/or visual representations 224 a-224 cwill not be completely presented unless a vertical (or horizontal)dimension of the content portion 210 (and therefore, the search resultlocation 212) is increased.

To present all of the preview graphic 220 (or at least a larger portionthan that presented in the original content portion 210), the userdevice can increase the size of the content portion 210 to create anexpanded content portion 226 and an expanded search result location 228,as illustrated by FIG. 2D. In some implementations, the user deviceincreases a vertical length of the content portion 210 so that theportion of the preview graphic 220, or another extended result card,that is presented in the expanded content portion 226 is larger than theportion of the preview graphic 220, or another extended result card,that was presented in the content portion 210.

In some implementations, the amount by which the content portion 210 isexpanded, and therefore the size of the expanded content portion 226, isbased on dimensions of the preview graphic 220 or another extendedresult card that is to be presented in the content portion 226. Forexample, the expanded content portion 226 can have a vertical lengththat is the same as, or larger than, the vertical length of the previewgraphic 220 such that the full vertical length of the preview graphic220 is presented in the expanded content portion 226. Alternatively, oradditionally, the expanded content portion 226 can have a verticallength that is proportional to the vertical length of the previewgraphic 220 so that at least a threshold portion of the vertical lengthof the preview graphic 220 is presented. For example, the expandedcontent portion 226 can have a vertical length that is 90% of the lengthof the preview graphic 220, so that up to 90% of the preview graphic 220can be presented in the expanded content portion 226.

The expansion of the content portion 210 can happen automatically, orcan occur only in response to detecting an expand user interaction. Forexample, the expansion of the content portion 210 can occur after anextended result card, such as the preview graphic 220, has stoppedmoving into the content portion 210 or while the extended result card ismoving into the content portion 210. Alternatively, once the extendedresult card, such as the preview graphic 220, has stopped moving intothe content portion 210, as illustrated by FIG. 2C, the user device canmaintain the size of the content portion 210 until the expand userinteraction has been detected. In response to detecting the expand userinteraction, the user device can then expand the content portion 210 tocreate the content portion 226, as described above. The expand userinteraction can be, for example, a user swipe that is in the directionof the arrow 229 (or another direction) or another specified userinteraction (e.g., a double “tap” on the content portion 210) thatcauses expansion of the content portion.

As the user device expands the content portion 210 to create theexpanded content portion 226, the user device also shifts other searchresults down the search interface 200. For example, as illustrated byFIG. 2D, when the expanded content portion 226 is presented in portionsof the search interface 200 at which the search result 202 b waspresented prior to expansion of the content portion 210 (e.g., atdisplay locations at which another search result location was previouslydefined), the search results 202 b-202 d can be shifted (i.e., moved)down the search interface 200 so that the search results 202 b-202 d arenot occluded by the expanded content portion 226.

In some implementations, the distance by which the search results 202b-202 d are shifted down the search interface 200 is proportional to thedistance by which the vertical length of the content portion 210 isexpanded to create the content portion 226. For example, the searchresults 202 b-202 d (and their respective search result locations) canbe moved down the search interface 200 a same vertical distance (e.g., asame number of pixels) as the distance by which the vertical length ofthe content portion 210 was increased. Alternatively, the distance bywhich the search results 202 b-202 d are moved down the search interfacecan differ from the distance by which the vertical length of the contentportion 210 was increased.

The user device can be implemented to enable a user to change theextended result card that is presented in the content portion 210 and/orthe expanded content portion 226, as illustrated by FIG. 2E. Forexample, in response to a user swipe from points 230 to 232 (i.e., inthe direction of the arrow 234), or another specified user interaction,such as user interaction with the extended result interface element 215,the user device can replace the preview graphic 220 with a differentextended result card, such as the preview graphic 236.

The replacement of one extended result card with another extended resultcard, such as replacement of the preview graphic 220 by the previewgraphic 236, can be performed in a manner similar to that by which thepreview graphic 220 replaced the text that was initially presented inthe content portion 210. For example, animation can be used so thatpreview graphic 220 visually appears to be “scrolling” off of the screenwhile the preview graphic 236 appears to be “scrolling” onto the screen(e.g., from right to left) until the preview graphic 236 has completedscrolling onto the screen, as illustrated by FIG. 2F. The previewgraphic 236 is similar to the preview graphic 220, but includes visualrepresentations 224 d-224 f that represent different resources than theresources that were represented by the visual representations 224 a-224c.

While the visual representations that are presented in the previewgraphics are visually representative of resources, the visualrepresentations can be created in a manner that provides users withenough information that enables the users to determine whether a siteincludes information for which the user is searching without precludinguser requests for the resource. For example, the resolution of thevisual representations may not enable a user to read a substantialportion of the text that is presented on the resource.

The visual representations may facilitate user requests for resources byenabling a user to request a resource using the visual representation.In some implementations, user interaction with (e.g., a user tap of) avisual representation that is presented in the expanded content portion226 (or the content portion 210) can cause the user device to requestthe resource that is visually represented by the visual representation.For example, if the user device detects a user tap within a thresholddistance (e.g., a threshold number of pixels) of visual representation224 d, the user device can initiate a request (e.g., a hypertexttransfer protocol request) for the “fan club” page that is referenced bythe visual representation 224 d.

As noted above, extended result cards for a search result can includeextended result content other than screenshots of the resource to whichthe search result is linked (e.g., off-page content). For example, anextended result card for a search result can include information thathas been identified as relevant to the search query for which the searchresult was provided and/or relevant to the resource that is referencedby the search result (e.g., by being included in the resource or beingrelevant to a same topic as the resource).

The extended result content that is included in an extended result cardcan be identified in resources that are included in the same domain towhich the search result links. For example, photos or other content(e.g., audio or video content) that is included in resources in thedomain can be identified and grouped together in an extended resultcard. In this example, a first set of images (e.g., 10 images) can beincluded in a first extended result card, while a second set of images(e.g., 10 different images) can be included in a second extended resultcard. As described above, the user can swipe though the various extendedresult cards to view the images.

The extended result content included in an extended result card can alsobe off-page content that is obtained from other information sources thatare not in the same domain as the search result, aggregated, andorganized to provide additional information about the subject matter towhich the resource referenced by the search result is relevant. Forexample, information related to a particular city, such as popularrestaurants, maps indicating locations of local attractions, imagestaken of attractions in the city, and weather information for the citycan be identified as extended result content for a search result thatreferences a web site for a city and used to create one or more extendedresult cards that can be presented following user interaction with(e.g., a user swipe of) the search result that references the web sitefor the city.

In some implementations, the extended result content that is presentedin an extended result card can be provided by publishers, such as anonline encyclopedia or an online retailer, that agree to provideinformation for presentation in extended result cards, thereby engagingusers even before the user requests presentation of one of thepublishers pages. For example, an online encyclopedia may provideinformation about various topics, and this information can be organizedby information category and presented as extended result content in oneor more extended result cards when a search result for the onlineencyclopedia is presented in response to a search query that matches oneof the topics. Thus, using the extended result cards, the user can makean initial determination regarding the relevance of the presentedinformation to the user's informational need, and be more confident thatthe information presented on the page to which the search result linkswill provide at least partial satisfaction of the user's informationalneed.

Similarly, an online retailer may provide information about variousproducts for inclusion into one or more extended result cards. In thisexample, users can be provided with relevant information about thevarious products at the search results page, thereby engaging the userprior to the user requesting presentation of the retailer's page (e.g.,through a tap or click of the search result). For purposes of example,assume that the search query “brand x camera” is received from a userdevice, and that Retailer Y has provided information, such as technicalspecifications, price, and user reviews for the brand x camera. In thisexample, one or more extended result cards can be created so that inresponse to a request for an extended result card (e.g., through a userswipe of a search result for the retailer), the user is provided withthe product information included in the extended result card.

In some implementations, the extended result content includesinformation obtained using vertical specific searches. A vertical is acontent category to which content is classified, and a vertical specificsearch is a search that is performed on content that has been identifiedas belonging to a specific content category. For example, an imagesearch can be performed on content that has been identified as imagefiles, a video search can be performed on content that has beenidentified as video files, a shopping search can be performed on contentthat has been identified as offering products for sale, and a newssearch can be performed on content that has been identified as beingnews articles.

When a universal search, i.e., a search across content for manydifferent verticals or all verticals, is performed, the extended resultcontent that is selected for a search result can be information thatwould have been provided in various different vertical specificsearches. For example, in response to receiving a universal searchrequest on the search query “dogs”, the search system can identify, asextended result content, a set of images that would have been providedin response to an image search using the query dogs. The identified setof images can be grouped together on one or more extended result cardsand data representing the extended result cards can be provided with thesearch results that are provided in response to the universal searchrequest. User interaction with one of the search results can then causepresentation of one of the extended result cards in the search result.Other extended result cards, such as extended result cards for videosearch results, shopping search results, news search results, or mapssearch results can also be provided with the search results andpresented in response to user interaction with the search results.

FIG. 2G is a screenshot of an example search interface 250 in which acontent portion 251 has been expanded to present photos 252 a-252 i. Thephotos can be included in a single extended result card or can each bein a separate extended result card. As described above, the photos couldbe images identified using an image search system that provides imagesearch results in response to a user query.

As illustrated by FIG. 2G, the content portion 251 has been expanded tofill substantially all of the display area 254 in which the searchresults are presented. If more extended result content, such as moreimages or a map of Boulder, Colo., is available for presentation inother extended result cards, this additional extended result content canbe presented in response to user interaction with the content portion251. For example, in response to a user swipe (e.g., from right to left)across the content portion 251, a new extended result card (or multipleextended result cards) can be presented in the content portion 251. Thenew extended result card can include, for example, additional imagesthat have been identified as relevant to the query “Boulder, Colo.”, amap of Boulder, Colo., or weather information for Boulder, Colo.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an example process 300 for presenting extendedresult content in search results. The process 300 can be implemented,for example, at a user device, such as a tablet computing device thatincludes a touch screen that receives input from a pointer such as afinger or a mechanical pointing device. The process 300 can also beimplemented by a desktop or other computing device that receives inputfrom an electronic pointer such as a virtual pointer that is controlledusing a mouse. The description that follows refers to user swipes anduser taps using a mechanical pointer. In some implementations where anelectronic pointer is used to interact with a search interface, a clickof the mouse can be interpreted as a user tap. Another electronicinteraction, such as a “click and drag” can be interpreted as a userswipe. The process 300 can also be implemented as instructions stored oncomputer storage medium such that execution of the instructions by dataprocessing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform theoperations of the process 300.

Search result data representing a search result and extended resultcontent are received (302). The search result data include data thatcause presentation of a search result at a user device. For example, thesearch result data can specify a title for the search result, a networklocation (e.g., a network domain and/or specific URL within the domain)for a resource that is referenced by the search result, and/or data thatspecify a snippet of text from the resource.

The search result data also include data that cause presentation ofextended result content. The extended result content can be, forexample, an image that includes visual representations of multiple webpages (e.g., two or more web pages) from the network domain to which thesearch result links. The extended result content can also be otherinformation that has been identified as relevant to the search query forwhich the search result was provided. In some implementations, at leasta portion of the extended result content for at least one search resultincludes off-page content that was obtained from a resource other thanthe resource to which the at least one search result is linked. The datathat cause presentation of the extended result content may include datathat prevent presentation of the extended result content until aspecified user interaction is detected, such as a user swipe. The searchresult data can be received by a user device, such as a tablet computingdevice that includes a touch interface.

The search result that is represented by the search result data ispresented at the user device (304). The search result can be presentedin a search interface similar to that described above with reference toFIGS. 2A-2G. For example, the search result can be presented in a searchresult location of a search results page, where the search resultlocation has a perimeter of a specified perimeter length and the searchresult is bounded by the perimeter of the search result location.

A determination is made whether user interaction with the search resulthas occurred (306). In some implementations, the user interaction is auser interaction that is indicative of a user request for presentationof extended result content for the search result. For example, the userinteraction can be user interaction with an extended result interfaceelement (e.g., a virtual button) that initiates presentation of theextended result content. The extended result interface element can bepresented, for example, in (or adjacent to) the search result locationfor the search result and each search result can have a correspondingextended result interface element.

In some implementations, the user interaction that is indicative of auser request for presentation of the extended result content is a userswipe of the search result. The user swipe can be determined to haveoccurred, as described above with reference to FIG. 2B. For example, theuser swipe of the search result can be determined to have occurred inresponse to detecting a pointer at multiple locations along a path thatextends between two display points, where at least two of the multiplelocations at which the pointer has been detected are at least athreshold distance apart. At least one location along the path (e.g.,the initial location at which the pointer was detected), can be requiredto be within a threshold distance of the search result. For example, theinitial location along the path at which the pointer is detected can berequired to be within the search result location for the search result.

In some implementations, presentation of the extended result content isprevented prior to detecting user interaction with the search result.Therefore, the determination of whether a user interaction with thesearch result has occurred can be iteratively performed while notpresenting the extended result content.

In response to determining that the user interaction indicative of arequest for presentation of the extended result content has occurred, aportion (e.g., less than 100%) of the extended result content for thesearch result is presented in the search result location (308). In someimplementations, the portion of the extended result content can replacea portion of the search result (e.g., content that was presented in acontent portion of the search result, while maintaining presentation ofanother portion of the search result (e.g., content presented in thereference portion), as described with reference to FIG. 2B. For example,the extended result content for the search result can replace a textsnippet for the search result, while a title and/or network location cancontinue to be presented in the search result.

In some implementations, the replacement of the portion of the searchresult is an animated transition from the portion of the search resultto the extended result content. For example, as described above withreference to FIG. 2B the animation can cause the extended result contentto visually “scroll” into the search result location as the content thatis being replaced “scrolls” out of the search result location. The“scrolling” of the extended result content and/or the content beingreplaced can be in a same direction as the user swipe.

A size of the search result location in which the extended resultcontent is presented is expanded (310). In some implementations, thesearch results location is expanded to have a larger perimeter than thesearch result location in which the search result was initiallypresented. Therefore, the perimeter length of the expanded search resultlocation will exceed the perimeter length of the initial search resultlocation. The perimeter of the search result location can be expanded,for example, by increasing a vertical length of the search resultlocation, as described above with reference to FIG. 2D. In someimplementations, the perimeter of the search result location is expandedto fill at least a threshold portion or all of the display of the userdevice.

One or more additional search results are shifted down the searchresults page (312). As described above with reference to FIG. 2D, theadditional search results (e.g., those search results with which theuser did not most recently interact) are shifted down the search resultspage to make room for presentation of the expanded search resultlocation. The distance by which one or more of the additional searchresults are shifted can be based on a distance by which the verticallength is increased. For example, the distance by which the additionalsearch results are shifted down the search results page can be the sameas, or proportional to, the distance by which the vertical length isincreased.

A larger portion of the extended result content is presented in theexpanded search result location (314). The portion of the extendedresult content that is presented in the expanded search result locationwill depend on the distance by which vertical length of the searchresult location was increased. For example, if the distance by which thevertical length was increased increases the size of the search resultlocation enough for presentation of an entire extended result card inwhich the extended result content is included, then all of the extendedresult content included on that extended result card can be displayed.Otherwise, difference in size between the initially presented extendedresult content and the larger portion of the extended result contentwill be limited based on the vertical length of the expanded searchresult location.

A determination is made whether a specified user interaction with theextended result content has occurred (316). In some implementations, adetermination of whether a user swipe of the extended result content hasoccurred can be performed in a manner similar to that described abovewith reference to determining that a user swipe of the search resultoccurred. In response to determining that a user swipe of the extendedresult content has occurred, the extended result content is replacedwith different extended result content (318). In some implementations,the different extended result content is included on a differentextended result card and includes additional information that has beenidentified as relevant to the search query, as described above withreference to FIGS. 2E-2G.

In some implementations, a determination of whether a user tap of theextended result content has occurred. For example, if a pointer isdetected at a location that is within a threshold distance of theextended result content, a user tap of the extended result content canbe considered to have occurred. In response to determining that a usertap of the extended result content has occurred, a request for aresource referenced by the extended result content can be initiated(320). If more than one resource is referenced by the extended resultcontent, the resource that is requested can be the resource that iswithin a threshold distance of the location at which the user tap wasdetected. Alternatively, the requested resource can be the resource thatis presented closest to the location at which the user tap was detected.

FIG. 4 is block diagram of an example computer system 400 that can beused to perform operations described above. The system 400 includes aprocessor 410, a memory 420, a storage device 430, and an input/outputdevice 440. Each of the components 410, 420, 430, and 440 can beinterconnected, for example, using a system bus 450. The processor 410is capable of processing instructions for execution within the system400. In one implementation, the processor 410 is a single-threadedprocessor. In another implementation, the processor 410 is amulti-threaded processor. The processor 410 is capable of processinginstructions stored in the memory 420 or on the storage device 430.

The memory 420 stores information within the system 400. In oneimplementation, the memory 420 is a computer-readable medium. In oneimplementation, the memory 420 is a volatile memory unit. In anotherimplementation, the memory 420 is a non-volatile memory unit.

The storage device 430 is capable of providing mass storage for thesystem 400. In one implementation, the storage device 430 is acomputer-readable medium. In various different implementations, thestorage device 430 can include, for example, a hard disk device, anoptical disk device, a storage device that is shared over a network bymultiple computing devices (e.g., a cloud storage device), or some otherlarge capacity storage device.

The input/output device 440 provides input/output operations for thesystem 400. In one implementation, the input/output device 440 caninclude one or more of a network interface devices, e.g., an Ethernetcard, a serial communication device, e.g., and RS-232 port, and/or awireless interface device, e.g., and 802.11 card. In anotherimplementation, the input/output device can include driver devicesconfigured to receive input data and send output data to otherinput/output devices, e.g., keyboard, printer and display devices 460.Other implementations, however, can also be used, such as mobilecomputing devices, mobile communication devices, set-top box televisionclient devices, etc.

Although an example processing system has been described in FIG. 4,implementations of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed in this specification can be implemented in other types ofdigital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, orhardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification andtheir structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them.

Embodiments of the subject matter and the operations described in thisspecification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or incomputer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Embodiments of the subject matterdescribed in this specification can be implemented as one or morecomputer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or tocontrol the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively or inaddition, the program instructions can be encoded on anartificially-generated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generatedelectrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, that is generated toencode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus forexecution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium canbe, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, acomputer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memoryarray or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover,while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computerstorage medium can be a source or destination of computer programinstructions encoded in an artificially-generated propagated signal. Thecomputer storage medium can also be, or be included in, one or moreseparate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, orother storage devices).

The operations described in this specification can be implemented asoperations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored onone or more computer-readable storage devices or received from othersources.

The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all kinds of apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multipleones, or combinations, of the foregoing The apparatus can includespecial purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gatearray) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Theapparatus can also include, in addition to hardware, code that createsan execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g.,code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, a cross-platform runtimeenvironment, a virtual machine, or a combination of one or more of them.The apparatus and execution environment can realize various differentcomputing model infrastructures, such as web services, distributedcomputing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, orother unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. Aprogram can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programsor data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup languagedocument), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or inmultiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules,sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are locatedat one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by acommunication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform actions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application-specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions andone or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally,a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive datafrom or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks.However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer canbe embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console,a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device(e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive), to name just a few.Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and datainclude all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices,including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal harddisks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROMdisks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, orincorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented on a computerhaving a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquidcrystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and akeyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by whichthe user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices canbe used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example,feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g.,visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input fromthe user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, ortactile input. In addition, a computer can interact with a user bysending documents to and receiving documents from a device that is usedby the user; for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on auser's client device in response to requests received from the webbrowser.

Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can beimplemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component,e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g.,an application server, or that includes a front-end component, e.g., aclient computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browserthrough which a user can interact with an implementation of the subjectmatter described in this specification, or any combination of one ormore such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The componentsof the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digitaldata communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a widearea network (“WAN”), an inter-network (e.g., the Internet), andpeer-to-peer networks (e.g., ad hoc peer-to-peer networks).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In someembodiments, a server transmits data (e.g., an HTML page) to a clientdevice (e.g., for purposes of displaying data to and receiving userinput from a user interacting with the client device). Data generated atthe client device (e.g., a result of the user interaction) can bereceived from the client device at the server.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions.Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in asingle embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described inthe context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multipleembodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover,although features may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems cangenerally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described.Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In somecases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a differentorder and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processesdepicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require theparticular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallelprocessing may be advantageous.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method performed by data processing apparatus,the method comprising: receiving search result data representing asearch result that includes: a link to a given resource; contentobtained from the given resource; and extended result content that wasobtained from one or more resources that are each different from thegiven resource and that are not linked to by the search result;presenting the search result in a search result location of a searchresults page without the extended result content, the search resultlocation having a first perimeter length; determining, based on datagenerated through a first user interaction with the search result, thata user is requesting presentation of the extended result content for thesearch result; in response to the first user interaction: presenting,within the search result location, a first portion of the extendedresult content while maintaining presentation of at least a portion ofthe search result including at least a portion of the content obtainedfrom the given resource; expanding a size of the search result locationin which the extended result content is presented, the search resultlocation being expanded to have a second perimeter of a second perimeterlength that exceeds the first perimeter length; and presenting a largerportion of the extended result content in the expanded search resultlocation; determining, based on data generated through a second userinteraction with the first portion of the extended result content, thatthe user is requesting presentation of additional extended resultcontent for the search result; and in response to the second userinteraction, replacing the first portion of the extended result contentfor the search result with a second portion of the extended resultcontent for the search result while maintaining presentation of the atleast a portion of the search result including the at least a portion ofthe content obtained from the given resource, the second portion of theextended result content being different from the first portion of theextended result content.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein presentingthe first portion of the extended result content comprises replacingonly a portion of the search result with the first portion of theextended result content.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein replacing aportion of the search result with the first portion of the extendedresult content comprises animating the portion of the search result in amanner that causes the portion of the search result to move in adirection of a user swipe.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein replacing aportion of the search result with the first portion of the extendedresult content comprises animating the first portion of the extendedresult content in a manner that causes the first portion of the extendedresult content to move in the direction of the user swipe until thefirst portion of the extended result content has completely replaced theportion of the search result.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining, based on data generated through a first user interactionwith the search result, that the user is requesting presentation of theextended result content for the search result comprises determining thata user swipe occurred, the determination that the user swipe hasoccurred being based, at least in part, on detection of a pointer atmultiple locations along a path that extends from a first displaylocation to a second display location, the first display location beingwithin a threshold distance of the search result location.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein expanding a size of the search result locationcomprises increasing a vertical length of the search result location. 7.The method of claim 6, further comprising shifting one or moreadditional search results down the search results page, a distance ofthe shifting being based on a distance by which the vertical length isincreased.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising preventingpresentation of the extended result content prior to user interactionwith the search result.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein receivingsearch result data representing the extended result content comprisesreceiving image data that represent two or more web pages of a networkdomain that is referenced by the search result.
 10. The method of claim8, wherein receiving search result data representing the extended resultcontent comprises receiving information that has been identified asrelevant to the search query for which the search result was provided,the received information having been obtained from a vertical specificsearch.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, based on datagenerated through a first user interaction with the search result, thatthe user is requesting presentation of the extended result content forthe search result comprises determining that a user interacted with anextended result element that was presented in the search resultlocation.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining based on datagenerated through a first user interaction with the search result, thatthe user is requesting presentation of the extended result content forthe search result comprises determining that a user swipe of the firstportion of the extended result content has occurred.
 13. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining that a user tap on the extendedresult content has occurred; and initiating a request for a resourcethat was visually represented at a display location that is within athreshold distance of a location at which the user tap was detected. 14.A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the programcomprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatuscause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:receiving search result data representing a search result that includes:a link to a given resource; content obtained from the given resource;and extended result content that was obtained from one or more resourcesthat are each different from the given resource and that are not linkedto by the search result; presenting the search result in a search resultlocation of a search results page without the extended result content,the search result location having a first perimeter length; determining,based on data generated through a first user interaction with the searchresult, that a user is requesting presentation of the extended resultcontent for the search result; in response to the first userinteraction: presenting, within the search result location, a firstportion of the extended result content while maintaining presentation ofat least a portion of the search result including at least a portion ofthe content obtained from the given resource; expanding a size of thesearch result location in which the extended result content ispresented, the search result location being expanded to have a secondperimeter of a second perimeter length that exceeds the first perimeterlength; and presenting a larger portion of the extended result contentin the expanded search result location; determining, based on datagenerated through a second user interaction with the first portion ofthe extended result content, that the user is requesting presentation ofadditional extended result content for the search result; and inresponse to the second user interaction, replacing the first portion ofthe extended result content for the search result with a second portionof the extended result content for the search result while maintainingpresentation of the at least a portion of the search result includingthe at least a portion of the content obtained from the given resource,the second portion of the extended result content being different fromthe first portion of the extended result content.
 15. A systemcomprising: a display in which search results are presented to a user;one or more processors configured to perform operations including:receiving search result data representing a search result that includes:a link to a given resource; content obtained from the given resource;and extended result content that was obtained from one or more resourcesthat are each different from the given resource and that are not linkedto by the search result; presenting the search result in a search resultlocation of a search results page without the extended result content,the search result location having a first perimeter length; determining,based on data generated through a first user interaction with the searchresult, that a user is requesting presentation of the extended resultcontent for the search result; in response to the first userinteraction: presenting, within the search result location, a firstportion of the extended result content while maintaining presentation ofat least a portion of the search result including at least a portion ofthe content obtained from the given resource; expanding a size of thesearch result location in which the extended result content ispresented, the search result location being expanded to have a secondperimeter of a second perimeter length that exceeds the first perimeterlength; and presenting a larger portion of the extended result contentin the expanded search result location; determining, based on datagenerated through a second user interaction with the first portion ofthe extended result content, that the user is requesting presentation ofadditional extended result content for the search result; and inresponse to the second user interaction, replacing the first portion ofthe extended result content for the search result with a second portionof the extended result content for the search result while maintainingpresentation of the at least a portion of the search result includingthe at least a portion of the content obtained from the given resource,the second portion of the extended result content being different fromthe first portion of the extended result content.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein presenting the first portion of the extended resultcontent comprises replacing only a portion of the search result with thefirst portion of the extended result content.
 17. The system of claim16, wherein replacing a portion of the search result with the firstportion of the extended result content comprises animating the portionof the search result in a manner that causes the portion of the searchresult to move across the display in a direction of a user swipe. 18.The system of claim 17, wherein replacing a portion of the search resultwith the first portion of the extended result content comprisesanimating the first portion of the extended result content in a mannerthat causes the first portion of the extended result content to moveacross the display in the direction of the user swipe until the firstportion of the extended result content has completely replaced theportion of the search result.
 19. The system of claim 15, whereindetermining, based on data generated through a first user interactionwith the search result, that the user is requesting presentation of theextended result content for the search result comprises determining thata user swipe occurred, the determination that the user swipe hasoccurred being based, at least in part, on detection of a pointer atmultiple locations along a path that extends from a first displaylocation to a second display location, the first display location beingwithin a threshold distance of the search result location.
 20. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein expanding a size of the search resultlocation comprises increasing a vertical length of the search resultlocation.
 21. The system of claim 20, further comprising shifting one ormore additional search results down the search results page, a distanceof the shifting being based on a distance by which the vertical lengthis increased.
 22. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or moreprocessors are further configured to perform operations comprisingpreventing presentation of the extended result content at the displayprior to user interaction with the search result.
 23. The system ofclaim 22, wherein receiving search result data representing the extendedresult content comprises receiving image data that represent two or moreweb pages of a network domain that is referenced by the search result.24. The system of claim 22, wherein receiving search result datarepresenting the extended result content comprises receiving informationthat has been identified as relevant to the search query for which thesearch result was provided, the received information having beenobtained from a vertical specific search.
 25. The system of claim 15,wherein determining, based on data generated through a first userinteraction with the search result, that the user is requestingpresentation of the extended result content for the search resultcomprises determining that a user interacted with an extended resultelement that was presented in the search result location.
 26. The systemof claim 15, wherein determining based on data generated through a firstuser interaction with the search result, that the user is requestingpresentation of the extended result content for the search resultcomprises determining that a user swipe of the first portion of theextended result content has occurred.
 27. The system of claim 15,wherein the one or more processors are further configured to performoperations comprising: determining that a user tap on the extendedresult content has occurred; and initiating a request for a resourcethat was visually represented at a display location that is within athreshold distance of a location at which the user tap was detected.